Jen Dragon of West Park puts money in a parking meter on Wall Street in Uptown Kingston. (Freeman photo by Tania Barricklo)

KINGSTON, N.Y. -- Six years ago, parking meters sprouted up in the city's three business districts.

Five-hundred of them were installed in the spring of 2007, with Kingston officials voicing two expectations: They would free up on-street parking spaces by encouraging turnover, and they would generate revenue for the city.

The city's municipal parking lots, however, were left meter-free, the idea being that use of those lots would make it easier for drivers seeking on-street parking to find it.

Today, those lots -- particularly two in the city's Uptown business district -- have become wracked with decay. The pavement is cracked and has potholes. Drainage is bad. And guardrails are badly rusted.

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So talk of meters, or some other form of paid parking, in those lots has resurfaced amid discussions of how to pay for the needed repairs.

But there's no guarantee enough money would come in. Indeed, revenue from the on-street meters in Uptown, Midtown and Downtown Kingston has fallen about $500,000 short of expectations.

Leading the charge regarding the Uptown lots is Common Council Majority Leader Thomas Hoffay, in whose ward the lots are located.

Hoffay, D-Ward 2, says the two lots -- one next to the Parent-Teacher Store on North Front Street and the other across the road, next to Nekos-Dedrick's Pharmacy -- should be overhauled completely.

Hoffay has recommended installing meters or some other form of paid parking, like kiosks, in the lots. And city Public Works Superintendent Michael Schupp recently suggested doing the same in the lot on Schwenk Drive where the Uptown Parking Garage used to stand.

Hoffay says he's less concerned about requiring payment for parking in the lots than he is about getting repairs made to North Front Street sites.

"The issue is that we are trying to bring these two parking lots up to some sort of standard that is acceptable," he said. "How it is paid for can be the subject of a second discussion."

In March, Kingston Mayor Shayne Gallo balked at Hoffay's estimate that the work would cost $1 million, saying the city could not foot such a bill.

The mayor left the door open to a scaled-back project, but he recently said he firmly opposes charging for parking in the lots.

"If anyone mentions meters, they should talk to folks in Uptown, Midtown and Downtown and business folks because business people and residents are not in favor of meters in the public parking lots," Gallo said. "I would strongly urge (lawmakers) to reach out to those folks."

Gallo said his position is based on what he has heard from the community.

Gallo agrees parking lot improvements are necessary, both at the two Uptown sites and two in Midtown. He says city officials have told him the work at all four locations can be done for a total of $250,000.

Alderman Robert Senor, who chairs the council's Laws and Rules Committee, also is adamantly opposed to any new paid parking in the city.

"It is just another back-door tax," said Senor, D-Ward 8.

"We have gone thought this, back and forth ... and we have already decided that meters should be left out of the parking lots for workers so that they are not parked on the street, making it that much harder for businesses (to draw customers)." Senor said.

The alderman also opposes having people who work in the three business districts pay for monthly permits to park in municipal lot.

Debbie Brown, the council's minority leader, said paying for parking in a city is a matter of course.

She said, though, that metering is an old idea and kiosks would be more attractive.

"(The) concept of parking meters is old and somewhat outdated," Brown, R-Ward 9, said in an email. "In the new technology era, parking kiosks are the way to go. (They) are not expensive to install, like parking meters, and there is better control of the monies. Shoppers and visitors can pay by debit cards, cash or credit card."

Brown said she favors using parking revenue generated by the lots to make needed improvements.

"Currently, this seems to be the only option to raise money to overhaul the Uptown parking lots," she said. "The city does not have the funds to commit to this project at the present time. If someone could find a money tree to shake to move this project further, I would prefer not to have to charge to park. But in reality, most cities do need to charge to park."

Alderwoman Elisa Ball said she's yet to commit to a position on the issue.

"Putting meters in the Uptown business district really is a double-edged sword," said Ball, D-Ward 6. "On one side, we want to encourage business in the Uptown district, and meters may deter people from both shopping in the area or setting up shop as a business owner."

Ball said, though, that she recognizes that the Uptown lots "are in need of renovation and maintenance, and for them to be self-sustaining, we will need the money to come from somewhere and hopefully not the city taxpayer's pocket."